Alfonzo Dennard's return to Nebraska was anything but triumphant. The only doors that swung open for him Saturday were at the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility.

Dennard, 24, began a 60-day term for a 2012 assault on a police officer. He must serve at least 35 days.

In April, a judge sentenced Dennard to two years' probation, 30 days in jail and community service for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest outside a Lincoln bar days before he was chosen in the NFL Draft.

The judge later doubled Dennard's jail time after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, a charge dismissed in a plea agreement.

Dennard was among the nation's best cornerback prospects when he completed his eligibility with the Cornhuskers in 2011. However, he fell to the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft, chosen by the New England Patriots 224th overall.

His 60-day sentence was reduced to 35 days, the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star reported, because of good behavior and community service time.

Dennard likely won't miss much workout time with the Patriots, the Boston Herald noted. The team's offseason workout program opens in mid-April, so Dennard should be free before then.

Dennard finished the 2013 season, his second in the NFL, with 40 tackles and one interception. The Patriots fell short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game.

Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard, a top cornerback prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft, is Alfonzo's cousin.